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A Kentucky state Senate committee has approved a bill allowing women to see an ultrasound of their unborn baby before an abortion.

Ultrasound help more than 80 percent of women decide against an abortion and to keep their baby, when used in pregnancey

On Thursday, the Kentucky Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 38, sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Tori, a Republican.

The measure now goes to the full Senate for consideration after the unanimous vote on the judicial panel.

“Abortion is a life-changing and life-ending procedure,” said Robert Castagna, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, according to Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper.

“Good public policy demands that before a woman gives truly informed consent and allows an irreversible procedure to be performed on herself and her unborn child, she should be fully informed by the most complete and current information," he said.

Kentucky pro-life advocates hope this year's bill goes further than the 2009 version, which received Senate approval before dying in a House committee. The state Senate signed off on that bill on a 33-4 vote but, for the second year in a row, the Kentucky House Health and Welfare Committee shot down the measure.

Tori told the Louisville newspaper that this year's measure goes further because it requires abortion practitioners to explain what the ultrasound shows -- including if more than one baby is present and to point out the limbs and torso of the child.

Derek Selznick, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky said the pro-abortion legal group opposes the bill and said abortion practitioners already show ultrasound images.

Pro-life advocates say if that is the case then there is no harm putting that into law and making sure women have the opportunity to see it.

Leaders with Kentucky Right to Life were not surprised when the bill was killed last year.

"This is a repeat of last year, the players are different, but the playbook remains the same: kill the pro-life bill in committee then tell your constituents that you would have voted for the bill if it reached the floor," KRLA assistant director Michael Janocik explained.

More than 16 states have enacted abortion-ultrasound laws that enhance the opportunity for women seeking an abortion to see an ultrasound image of their baby.

Source: LifeNews

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